Spanish Week: Day 3 (Cordero)

Hola mis amigos! I welcome you all to day tres (3) of Spanish week here at Everyday Meals. Today, we will be doing a nice cordero. That means lamb in Spanish. This is a hearty dish and typically serves 6 to 8, but feel free to double the recipe if need be. I know for one, I have a big family, so food must be in epic portions. So, here we go. Let's grab the cutlery and our aprons and get chopping!

Roasted Garlic & Rosemary Lamb with Potatoes

Cordero Asado con Romero, Ajo y Patatas

You will need:

• 15 garlic cloves, un-peeled but separated 
• Olive oil
• 1 leg of lamb, about 3 pounds or so
• handful of fresh rosemary sprigs
• salt and pepper
• 24 new potatoes, scrubbed but left whole
• 1.25 (1 and 1/4) cup full-bodied red wine

Vamonos!

1. Coat the garlic cloves with a little oil in your hands.
2. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees, then roast the garlic on a baking pan for 20 minutes or until very soft. (Cover with aluminum foil if the cloves start to brown too much)
3. Afterward, let the garlic cool, then peel the cloves. Use a mortar and pestle to pound the garlic into a course paste with 1/2 teaspoon of oil.
4. Make small incisions all over the lamb, then rub in the garlic paste. 
5. Let marinate for 2 hours.
6. Place the lamb in a roasting pan on a bed of rosemary sprigs, and season with salt and pepper.
7. Rub the potatoes with oil and place around the lamb. Sprinkle with more rosemary and season to taste.
8. Turn your oven up to 450 degrees and then roast your lamb for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees for 15 minutes per 1 pound, plus an extra 15 minutes. (All in all, you are looking at 1 hour total).
9. Set aside the rosemary sprigs and scrape off any fat from the pan. Pour in the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any glazed bits from the bottom. Continue boiling until reduced to half the amount.
10. Slice the lamb and serve with the potatoes and juices spooned around.

NOTE: If your potatoes are still not tender, return them to the oven in a separate dish. 

So, we have managed to make a very delicious meal tonight. I'm amazed at how good at this you all are! Bravo and big, big kudos to you all. Stay tuned for more Spanish week and I will see you all later one. Adios!